An unusual week

This week has been bit different. On Sunday I saw the Pompeii exhibit at the National Gallery, on Tuesday night I saw a 400 year old play, "Dog in the Manager," a Shakespeare Theater production and then on Wednesday my partner and I traveled to Philadelphia to see a Cezanne exhibit. This is more art than I've seen in the previous year.

It has left me feeling like an adjunct to a stream that has been flowing all around us, but that most of us do not participate in on a regularly. During the Cezanne exhibit I really did get the feeling that everything is part of a whole. Roman art was completely derivative of Greek art, its meaning seemed to only be in relationship to the Greeks. Fast forward to Cezanne it was manifest that his work's meaning was in his break from the Impressionist and he heralded the cubists. Each gained its meaning because of its place on the continuum.

I wondered if any of it would be "good art" in and of itself. Can Jasper Johns work actually stand alone, or is it only good if you know the art that came before him and what he was trying to do intellectually. Would a person unfamiliar with the "tradition" look at cubist work and love it?

My instinct is no. It all reminds me of poets who explain their poems before they read it. If you have to do that, then you need to re-write your poem. Few things stand by themselves. I'm thinking that those things that do, have an a priori relationship with us.

Today my partner and I went to see an exhibit on Pompeii and the Roman villa at the National Gallery. Seeing statues, bowls, silverware and paintings, retrieved from peoples home, that are 2000 years old, gives one pause. It reminds me of both our impermanence and our legacy. We as individuals are fleeting, but our culture has a longer life. This brings me to a question I overheard a woman at the Gallery ask her husband, "Two thousand years from now, what of ours will people come to Galleries to see?" Will Picasso be as enduring as Rembrandt? Time will judge, but it feels like less of our culture has enduring qualities, than the Romans, Greeks, Incas, Mayans and Egyptians.

The twentieth century heralded an informality both in our individual lives and in production that makes our more fleeting. Why have a family portrait done when you can simply have a picture taken. Why spend the money on individual pottery, when you can buy a set at IKEA for $20. Figurines have replaced statutes in our homes. While we gain accessibility, we loose uniqueness.

After seeing several statues of Dionysus, Athena, I commented to my partner that we do not have myths that help define us. She disagreed and pointed to Jesus, the Virgin Mary and that many black people have pictures of John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King in their homes. These things she believes replaces Apollo. Perhaps she is right.

At the end of our discussion and the exhibit I thought about our home and to what extent it speaks to who we are. Our home should tell our story. This thought made me want a statue of Anansi

The Pharcyde

Something fairly weird has been happening lately. My son and I have been having meaningful conversations over the last few weeks. The discussions have ranged from the difference between Liberalism and Conservatism to the ethical questions presented by the movie Watchmen. I have enjoyed this since it feels like most of the time I've been admonishing him about this or the other.

A fun discussion we had last night had us each sharing our top ten rap songs. I was in the 9th grade when Rapper's Delight came out, my son was four when Missy Elliot emerged on the scene, two distinct rap generations. Still oddly enough there was one thing in common:



My List
Can't Forget About You-- Nas
Paid in Full (Cold Cut Remix)-- Eric B and Rakim
Let Me Ride-- Dr. Dre
Sucka Mcs -- Run-DMC
American Terrorist-- Lupe Fiasco
The Show-- Dougie Fresh
Bring the Noise-- Public Enemy
Passing Me By-- The Pharcyde
Buddy-- De La Soul
Scenario Remix -- Tribe Called Quest(With, Leaders of the New School)

My Son's list
Ice Cream-- Wu Tang Clan
Music-- Eric Sermon
Feeling It-- Jay-Z
Theme Music to a Drive By-- L.F.
BMJR -- Lil Wayne
Rising Down The Roots
Grown Man Business-- Mos Def
Wat U Made Me-- Malik Yousef
N.I.G.G.E.R.-- Nas
Passing Me By-- The Pharcyde